The Sea Is Always There to Catch the Stars That Fall
by DarkPoisonousLove
Summary: Stars have been a big part of Killian's life since they go hand in hand with sailing. Alice comes to love them ever since she's little since they can grant one of her most sacred wishes and keep her company when she's lonely. And they can both count on them to guide them home no matter what. My entries for Knight Rook a History – Stars over on tumblr.
1. Day 1 - Tower Tales

**A/N: W****ish Killian wakes up to find Alice gazing at the stars with only one wish in her heart.**

Stars for the Starfish

Killian woke up from a relentless sense of alarm. His first instinct was to check up on Alice. When his gaze landed on the empty bed with the blankets thrown haphazardly to the side, he jumped out of his hammock, his heart hammering in his throat as the worry for his starfish shot through his veins. It didn't have time to settle in, though, for he found her perched up at the windowsill where she was bathing in the light coming from the night sky full of stars.

He came next to her but she didn't look at him, her gaze trained on the sky. "What's wrong, starfish?" he asked. He had a general idea of what was troubling her. She rarely slept peacefully and he couldn't blame her for always being so restless. She'd been born in the middle of a nightmare with no way out. But still, he asked and his heart hurt every time he got the answer.

"I'm looking for a shooting star," she said, still watching the dark depths of the sky that were adorned with stars. "If I see one, I can make a wish and maybe I will finally be free of this prison." She tapped her finger against the invisible barrier that kept her trapped in the tower dejectedly, tearing her gaze away from the sky for the first time.

"Al…" he had no idea what to say, how to comfort her. For he'd failed her. She shouldn't have to stay awake and pray for a shooting star to save her from her prison. He should've gotten her out long ago. But he couldn't.

"Do you think the stars will hear me?" she asked as she looked up at him with eyes full of hope, eyes full of stars.

"Of course, they will, starfish," he reassured. That at least he could do. "They hear everything. And they look out for humans." Something must have looked after him for him to get his precious starfish. It might as well have been the stars. They'd been guiding him through the sea since he was little. They might have also guided him through life. "They guide sailors home. They keep the lonely company. And even when they fall, with what power they have left, they make wishes come true."

"But what happens to the stars when they fall, papa?" His precious starfish always cared about others despite her own misery. She carried a kind and brave soul that could outshine the brightest of stars.

"They fall in the ocean and get to live again as starfish." He had no idea if that were true. But if magic could accomplish something so ugly such as keeping her prisoner since birth, why shouldn't it be able to create something beautiful, too?

Alice's eyes shined with awe as she looked back at the sky, seeming even more enthralled with the stars now, admiring them for their beauty and their perseverance.

"Now let's get you into bed, starfish," he urged. "And all the stars will keep looking out for you while you sleep," he added to halt her budding protest. "They will always look out for you," he assured as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a silent promise to do his best, too. He would keep looking for a way to free her and, hopefully, the stars would aid him on his journey once again. Just like they'd always done.


	2. Day 2 - Separation Anxiety

**A/N: ****In the lonely emptiness of the tower Alice looks to the stars for company.**

Starslight Accompanies Her Life

Days were long and went by slowly in the empty tower. Sometimes the company of her stuffed friends was enough to keep Alice distracted from her loneliness. But sometimes she could barely wait for nightfall when the sky filled with stars that smiled at her and caressed her with their mellow glow.

There were so many of them out there that even with all those that fell, there were still enough stars to form beautiful constellations on the black canvas of the night sky. She'd seen a couple of shooting stars amidst their fall during her years in the tower and had wished only for freedom. Yet, when her wish never came true, she figured the stars hadn't had enough power to grant it for her. So she wished them happy lives as starfish on the bottom of the ocean, hoping that they had enough power to make that come true, at least. She was never disappointed in them for they gave her everything they could.

Her papa had been right – they always kept her company. Even when she was in a sour mood, they didn't turn away from her and kept shining until they brightened her night, giving her enough peace of mind for her to be able to go to sleep, still in her prison. Whenever she felt lonely, she took a look at the stars and smiled a big sad smile. Knowing that her papa was somewhere out there, looking at the same sky, helped her feel a little closer to him. Yet, it also reminded her that they were so far apart, the void between them vast like the sky itself. But the stars were always there to look after both of them and guide them back into each other's lives.

"Hey, stars," she reached out to them one night. She'd made a habit of talking to them. "Is my papa okay?" she asked for they knew everything, they saw everything, and that knowledge brought her comfort.

And so did the sight of the stars that shined just a little brighter, sharing their secrets with her.

"Thank you stars," she whispered with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes that shined with the reflection of the starlight in them. "Please, watch out for him."

She couldn't know that somewhere under the reflection of the stars into the ocean's surface, a little mermaid was on her way to cheer up an old pirate friend of hers. Alice couldn't know that. But she felt it in her heart as it weighed a little less that night.


	3. Day 3 - New Quests, New Friends

**A/N: ****Alice and Rumple share a love for stars. Mentions of Knight Rook, Curious Archer and Rumbelle.**

Shine Bright Like a Guiding Light

Alice was sitting outside her cabin alongside Rumplestiltskin. She hated seeing him sit alone. She herself had been lonely for so long and she wouldn't wish it on anyone. So she always kept him company when she could.

They didn't talk that much but she could tell her presence calmed him. He never touched his spinning wheel when she was near and his words came out clearer without the sharp giggles that followed them otherwise. And his presence calmed her, too. She was the Guardian and had powerful magic, but it felt good to know that there was always someone to protect her nearby.

"The stars are so beautiful tonight," she mentioned absentmindedly with her gaze lost in the depths of the night sky. Though lately, everything seemed somehow brighter. Especially Robin's eyes when she smiled at her. Alice felt a smile blooming on her own face at the thought.

"They are," Rumple agreed. "But they could never shine brighter than my star," he spoke quietly, his voice full of grief that made Alice tear her gaze away from the sky to check up on him. "She brought me out of the dark and guided me home, helped me see the light." A small smile crossed his face at the thought of his wife and her determination to not give up on him. "Yet, I'm lost in darkness again now that she's dead," he looked at his scaly hands in defeat ad Alice's heart hurt to see him so dejected. She knew the pain of being separated from the one you loved most.

"You'll find your way back to her," she said as she took his hand in hers, causing him to look at her, and the doubt in his eyes was one of the most frightening things she'd ever seen. "I can be your guiding star if you want me to," she offered because she refused to let him lose himself in despair. If she let him give up, how could she continue to look for a way to be reunited with her papa?

"I would like that," he said and gave her a small smile before turning to look at the sky again. "Do you know that your father taught my son to navigate by using the stars? Or a version of him, at least."

Alice frowned. "Gideon?"

"No, my first son – Baelfire." He didn't talk much about either one of his sons–especially about Baelfire–but she knew they meant the world to him. She knew what he'd done for both of them, that he'd never given up on them. "Your father taught him and that saved him from his prison in Neverland," he explained and she understood why that was so important. She'd heard from her papa what an awful place Neverland was – a prison just like her tower. "Maybe you can help save me from the burden of darkness."

Alice looked at him, feeling determination fill her, and nodded. "I will," she said as she squeezed his hand and the stars were witnesses of her promise.


	4. Day 4 - Hyperion Heights

**A/N: ****Tilly has a birthday party thrown for her by her new friends and Margot has a special surprise for her.**

Gift of a Star

Tilly couldn't remember when she'd last had a birthday party thrown for her. She'd been lucky to have something to eat and a place to stay so that she wouldn't freeze to death on her birthdays. But this year she had a real party organized for her by her friends. Roni had even closed the bar for a private celebration and Sabine had made her a cake in the shape of a bunny. She'd teared up when she'd seen her surprise. And that wasn't even the cherry on top. They'd all gotten her amazing presents.

Rogers had gotten her brushes, paints, canvas and omnifarious other painting materials for all of her creative needs. Now she could paint an illustration of that dream she'd had just the night before of her and Margot riding in a yellow beetle dressed in funny clothes with Margot carrying a bow and arrows.

Weaver had gotten her a beautiful crystal chess set – the kind of thing that she'd never dreamt of having, not only because she couldn't afford it, but also because she didn't have a proper place ro store it. Or at least, she hadn't had before she'd started living with Rogers. And now she had a chess partner, too.

Roni had arranged a boat ride for her and a person of her choosing the following weekend. She'd instantly known she'd take Rogers with her since he'd always wanted to go see the ocean. Margot would have to sit this one out but Tilly was sure she would find a way to make it up to her.

Henry had bought her the encyclopedia on sea life that she'd had her eye on for quite some time now and she'd barely contained herself from opening it right up in the middle of the party. She stole a minute or two to sneak a peek and was left speechless by the breathtaking photographs inside. She had to find a way to get the one of the starfish as a poster for her bedroom wall.

Sabine, Jacinda and even Lucy had taken from their savings and chipped in on a gift card for her with enough money for her to buy travel shoes and a backpack for her first adventure with Margot. She couldn't wait to go shopping and then get an opportunity to try her purchases out in Margot's company.

Speaking of Margot, she'd said she had a surprise for her that she would get at the end of the evening. So Tilly tried to suppress her curiosity and enjoy the party. Still, she found herself pestering Margot with questions all evening until she finally gave up after they sliced the cake–Tilly had been considering rubbing her face in it as retaliation for withholding information from her but had opted not to do it since Sabine had probably put a lot of effort into making it–and asked Henry to drive them to "the place". Apparently, he'd been in on it the whole time. Had Tilly known, she would've gotten the truth out of him with help from Rogers and Weaver if necessary. But now it didn't matter.

They hopped in his car and he drove through the streets of Hyperion Heights while Margot held her hand at the backseat. Tilly caught her eye a couple of times but that only led to mysterious smiles that exacerbated her case of uncontrollable curiosity to the point where she was just about to ask what the surprise was when the car pulled to a stop.

"The observatory?" Tilly asked when she took a good look of her surroundings. "Are we here to watch the stars?"

"Something like that," Margot said cryptically before patting Henry's shoulder to thank him for the ride and pulling Tilly out of the car.

They were met by a man from the personnel who led them to the telescope inside.

"Before you take a look, check this out," Margot said as she handed her a rectangular piece of carton.

Tilly thought it was a birthday card but when she looked at it, she read the word "certificate" on it. Margot had purchased a star for her under the name "Curious T". There even was a map that showed the exact location of the star.

Tilly looked at Margot at a loss for words.

"Because my love for you goes out to the stars and even beyond that," Margot explained and, even though they'd known each other for a short time, Tilly had no problem believing her.

She pulled Margot into a kiss as she felt tears falling down her cheeks.

"Do you like it?" Margot asked when Tilly pulled away for some much needed air. As if it wasn't obvious.

"Of course," Tilly said before proceeding to cover her girlfriend's face in kisses to show her just how much she loved her gift. A sudden thought gave her pause, though. "Please, tell me you aren't broke after this gift."

"No, I'm not," Margot chuckled. "Roni and Weaver helped a little with their connections for the observatory, and the star wasn't really that expensive," she added when she saw that Tilly was still worried.

"Good," Tilly said before hugging her. She wouldn't feel well knowing that Margot had spent too much on her.

Margot stroked her hair reassuringly. "Why don't you say hello to your star?" she asked as she pulled away and Tilly nodded excitedly. That was the best birthday ever.


	5. Day 5 - Happily Ever After

**A/N: ****Alice comes home to find Robin finishing the preparations for a picnic under the stars. Is semi-related to my fic for Day 4, but could be understood on its own.**

A Starry Affair

Alice came home to find a picnic basket on the table and a folded blanket thrown over the back of one of the chairs.

Robin emerged from their bedroom, fixing her jacket and holding one of her hoodies in her hand. "Oh, hey," she greeted when she saw Alice before going for a quick welcome home kiss. "I was just finishing up with the preparations."

"Where are we going?" Alice asked as she turned to look at the picnic basket.

"On a picnic." Robin smiled at her.

Alice gave her an annoyed look, but she couldn't stay mad at her even if she wanted to. "What's the hoodie for?" Robin already had her jacket on. A hoodie on top of that would be a bit too much.

"It's for you. In case you get cold," she said as she threw it over the basket and picked it up. She grabbed the blanket from the chair and handed it to Alice. "Let's go."

"Okay," Alice said but before she could move, Robin wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Where to?" Alice asked as she returned the gesture which indicated that Robin wanted her to teleport them.

"Firefly Hill," Robin said and smiled at her again.

Alice concentrated on the desired destination and her magic wrapped around them, poofing them at the right spot. "Why here?" she looked around. The place was swallowed in darkness since at that time it didn't live up to its name. "There are no fireflies at this time of the year."

"I know," Robin said as she set the basket down on the ground. "But there are other lights," she said as she took the blanket from Alice's hand and looked up.

Alice followed her gaze to the night sky besprent with stars. She beamed at the sight. The spot was perfect for stargazing.

Robin laid down the blanket and pulled a thermos with tea and a plastic box full of candy-covered apples out of the basket. She invited Alice to take a seat and the two enjoyed the apples and the tea while watching the stars. Few words were exchanged between them and even those pertained mostly to the spectacular sight.

After they were finished, Robin put everything back in the basket and they lay down, snuggling into each other.

"Can you see Curious T?" Alice asked as she remembered the gift Robin had made her while they'd been cursed. "Where was it?" she looked at the stars, trying to figure out where exactly it was supposed to be on the night sky.

"I have no idea," Robin said as she shook her head, causing both of them to burst into laughter.

"I guess we'll have to find that map that came with the name certificate," Alice said when the ripples of laughter died down.

"Maybe we should change the name," Robin turned to look at her.

Alice pretended to contemplate the idea for a moment. "Nah, I like it," she said. She wasn't bothered by the memories of the Curse it brought about. After all, that had been a significant part of their lives. And Margot's gift just proved that their love was stronger than any curse. "But if it falls from the sky, you can buy me another one and we'll pick a new name together."

"Is that so?" Robin asked in feigned disbelief.

"Yeah, Nobin," Alice teased and bumped Robin's shoulder with hers. "Hey, we could name it Nobin," she said, her eyes widening at the revelation.

"Or," Robin drew out the vowel, "we could name it Tower Girl," she raised a brow at Alice.

"No, that doesn't sound right," Alice shook her head. She pursed her lips, deep into thought. "How about MJ?"

"MJ?" Robin knitted her brows.

"Mills-Jones," Alice clarified. "Though, that would sort of make it sound like it's our child," she went on, ignoring the stunned look on Robin's face.

"Alice Jones," Robin raised her voice slightly, the sharp tone drawing Alice's attention, "did you just propose to me?" She looked completely scandalized by the possibility.

"A little bit?" Alice offered, unsure of why Robin was reacting like that.

"I can't believe this!" Robin shot up to a sitting position. "I've been planning the perfect proposal for months only to have you beat me to it! And over the hypothetical name of a star we may never buy no less!"

"Don't have a meltdown," Alice sat up as well and put a hand on Robin's shoulder. It wasn't such a big deal. To be fair, she just wanted Robin to propose to her so that they could get married which was why she'd used the opportunity to casually propose herself. "You can accept my proposal now and we'll keep it just between the two of us until you're ready with yours. After that we'll announce it," she proposed, making Robin turn to look at her. "That good enough for you?"

Robin sighed. "Yeah, okay." She pulled her closer, "Come here." She captured her lips in a kiss. "Proposal ruiner," Robin spoke against her lips when they parted.

"Proposal pedantic," Alice quipped right back at her and grinned.


	6. Day 6 - AU

**A/N: A Curious Archer AU inspired by the movie "Stardust". This is a plot description of the idea because it got away from me and became too long to be written as an actual fic (heaven knows this description is too long, too). Fair warning for major character death and a sad, painful, bittersweet ending. I can't help my love of angst, folks.**

Stardust

Robin saw the star fall. Everyone saw it fall. Everyone knew it was somewhere outside the confines of Mist Haven. Everyone wanted it. No one dared to go get it. No one but Robin. And she had a plan, too. With the help of her two best friends - Gideon and Alexandra, she'd been preparing her plan for years, ever since they'd seen their first shooting star when they'd been kids. The three of them had made a pact to come up with a plan so that they'd be ready when the next star fell out of the sky.

They'd had enough time to perfect it over the years since there'd been no other shooting stars. Or they hadn't seen them. It didn't matter now. They had a star and Robin needed to get to it before someone else found it.

She grabbed the travel bag Gideon had prepared for her with all the things she might need, her bow and arrows, and the shoes Alex had made for her. They were of excellent workmanship and were enchanted. Gideon had helped Robin mold the magic from which Alex's mother's glass slippers were made and adapt it to her own needs. Gideon understood magic like no one else. He knew it inside out on a logical level which Robin couldn't even begin to comprehend. Her mom and aunt had always taught her that magic was emotion, and she'd never been that good at it anyway. She had just enough magic to accomplish the spell of altering a pre-existing body of magic under Gideon's guidance but that meant that the glass slippers had to be sacrificed. On the other hand, she had a pair of enchanted boots that could travel as fast as her body would allow. And Gideon had helped her make a copy of the glass slippers that would never fool a magic user for it wasn't nearly as precise as the original, but Ella would hardly notice the difference.

Robin was all set to go. She just needed to get past the magical barrier that kept them trapped, i.e. safe. Outside of the shield there were ogres lurking, but Robin wasn't afraid of them. She knew how to defeat them – the trick was to shoot them in the eye. Though, with her magical shoes she'd hardly have to worry about ogres. The magical barrier around Mist Haven was the only thing standing between her and that star. Luckily for her, her aunt was the queen of their isolated kingdom and a powerful sorceress. If she didn't have the key to the kingdom so to speak, no one did.

Robin went to her aunt's magic vault. It was sealed and even though her own magic had never been strong, that spell she could break. It was blood magic, after all. All she needed was a drop of blood. She cut herself on the tip of one of her arrows and entered the vault. That was the only part of the plan they needed to improvise because once she opened the vault, she wouldn't be able to seal it again. However, there was a small chance of her aunt finding out about it because she didn't use the vault anymore. Robin had never understood why she would keep all that magic locked away. But "to keep it away from inexperienced and reckless magic users"–such as herself–was probably a good guess.

Robin knew that what she was doing was dangerous. She knew it could blow up in her face in so many different ways and earn her a grounding for life. That was why Gideon and Alex were instructed to cover for her as long as possible. They'd lied that the three of them would be spending the night in their secluded childhood tree house. Knowing them, one night could easily turn into five, so that'd give her enough time to escape and find the star. By the time her disappearance was discovered, she would probably be on her way back and, hopefully, not empty-handed. If she succeeded in her quest, it would be worth all the risks she was taking. Life would change for all of them.

She found a way to open a small "door" in the magical barrier. However, she needed strong magic to spear through the magical field and she knew her own magic couldn't do that. She knew her mom's magic was stored in a box that was somewhere around the vault. Her mom had made the sacrifice to give up her magic in order to protect the community. Since then it was stored into the box and her mom and aunt had been looking for a way to get it back inside her. But that had been when Robin had been a baby. She was twenty-five now. If they hadn't found a way to do it by now, there probably wasn't one. Not in the confines of their magical trap anyway.

Robin took the box and let out her mom's magic. It made a hole big enough for her to get through the barrier. She stumbled out of Mist Haven falling face first into the grass, forced out by the magic. There was something different about the world outside, something wild and exciting. She headed for the place where the star had to be according to her calculations. Well, okay, Gideon's calculations. He'd helped her figure out where she needed to go. And the boots Alex had made for her took her there in under an hour as they allowed her to move with incredible speed.

She found the star but it turned out it was a girl and not, well, a rock, like they'd all expected. It didn't matter, though. She'd gone there for a star, and a star she'd take home.

The star didn't seem to agree with her, though. She accused Robin of being selfish for wanting to possess her. They started calling each other names. Robin called her Star Girl even though her name was Alice. Alice called her Snobin when she learned her name. Robin decided that a better approach might be to explain herself. She told Alice that she wanted to help her people.

Everyone had heard that shooting stars could grant wishes. So they had to be magical. She figured if she brought the fallen star to Mist Haven and everyone wished for it, the war with the ogres would end and they would be able to live freely, instead of being trapped under a magical lid.

Mist Haven was small for her. She wanted to be like her dad – roaming the forests without fearing the ogres and helping people in need. She wanted to have adventures. She wanted to find herself, and that wouldn't happen in Mist Haven.

She also wanted a better life for everyone else. Gideon could become a great scientist with the right resources. Alex could make a fortune from selling shoes to the royals from neighbouring kingdoms and even other realms. Her own mom could make clothes for other royals besides Robin's aunt instead of working on a farm. Snow White could track criminals, and her husband – David, could be a knight. And Emma's powerful Savior magic could save thousands of people instead of being wasted in the confines of the magical trap they all lovingly called home. They didn't have to be trapped in Mist Haven with no opportunities for the future.

Alice said she'd go with her. She'd always hated to see wars. She couldn't bear the thought of them. Watching the earth for centuries, she'd seen more bloodshed than any human. The thing that kept her watching and shining on the people was how happy they seemed. They always sought adventures and the biggest adventure seemed to be love. So she said she'd look at this as an adventure. She hadn't fallen from the sky intentionally, but until she could find a way to go back home, she would take the opportunity to do what she'd always wanted.

Robin gave her the cloak Gideon had packed for her. They'd figured it would come in handy to conceal her load. Well, not exactly how they'd imagined it, but it still served its purpose. Alice also limited her shining so that she wouldn't blind or even obliterate Robin and anyone they might meet. It really helped to keep her off the radar of anyone else who might be after her.

Robin figured that the journey back would take a lot longer since Alice didn't have magical boots of her own, and carrying her wasn't an option. So they'd have to walk back. Robin was so grateful she had that map Gideon had made her.

Robin was also glad that she took all her savings with her even though she'd planned to use the shoes on the way back, too. Good thing she'd figured it was a good idea to have a backup plan because they needed something to eat. A means of transportation other than walking would be great, too, but there was no way her savings would be enough for a horse. Besides, she was trying to lay low and not draw attention to herself and Alice. However, that wasn't exactly easy with a curious star that was just beginning to get acquainted with human things.

If given the chance, Alice would stop at every step to smell the flowers and pet all the forest animals who seemed to flock to her even though they kept their distance from Robin. It was the bow. The animals on her mom's farm liked her well enough.

The trouble was that Alice drew the attention not only of the animals, but also of the people. Her presence was immediately felt in all the villages they passed–far enough from Mist Haven to not even be aware of the ogre infestation they were facing–as she was filled with child-like wonder by the simplest things. Robin tried to keep her in line, but every once in a while Alice found the opportunity to be in total awe by something as simple as a hook or a stuffed toy.

At one of the market places they went through, Alice saw a white rabbit and immediately fell in love with it. It seemed to gravitate towards her as well so Robin asked her if she wanted it and when Alice nodded enthusiastically, she bought it for her despite her concerns about keeping a low profile.

When they got to the forest, Alice let the rabbit go and it was out of sight as soon as she let it on the ground. Robin scolded her because "seriously, Star girl?" She paid money for that thing. Alice thanked her and said that she'd saved the rabbit from death and now it could live and have a family. Robin just shook her head and kept walking, but when she was out of Alice's sight, she allowed the smile to take over her face.

That night while they were walking–Alice wasn't used to sleeping during the night so Robin compromised by letting Alice sleep for a few hours during the day while she stood guard and they switched at night so that she could get some rest as well–they heard a commotion nearby. They saw a man threatening two girls. Robin used her archery skills to scare him away and save the girls whose names were Anastasia and Drizella. The two had been on their way to an inn nearby where their mother was waiting for them when the guy had come out of the forest, wanting their money.

Alice and Robin joined them on their way to the inn since Robin decided it would be good to sleep in a bed and take a bath for a change. They arrived at "Mother Gothel's Secret Garden" shortly. The innholder – Mother Gothel – was a friendly woman that immediately offered them shelter. Drizella and Anastasia were reunited with their mother – Rapunzel, and said they'd be on their way even though it looked like a storm was coming.

Mother Gothel recognized Robin as a magic user and told her she could show her a trick or two to help her in her travels while Alice was enjoying a nice cup of tea since Gothel, too, was a magic user. It was what helped her run the inn by herself and made it a real win. She told Robin that the trick she was showing her was called "Getting away with your prize" before disappearing.

Robin panicked and checked the inn for Alice but she couldn't find her anywhere. What was worse was that she couldn't get out of the inn. There was a spell that sealed her inside. She used what Gideon had taught her to change the structure of the magic of her shoes again so that it would allow her to walk out of the magical circle she was trapped in.

Once she was free, she started looking for a way to locate Alice. She went through her bag and found a locator's potion that Gideon had put in there. She wondered what possible reason he could have had for putting that in there before deciding that it must have been his gift of foresight that had made him do it, and, really, what did it matter? The important thing was that she would be able to find Alice.

Her joy was quickly extinguished when she realized that she needed something of Alice's for the potion to be of any help. And she didn't have anything of hers. Well, unless she counted her own heart. Alice's curiosity, bravery and readiness to help had enchanted her from the beginning. And even though she'd only known her for a few days, she was the only one who'd ever made her feel so deeply. So she considered the possibility of ripping out her own heart to use with the potion since it was the only thing she had that belonged to Alice. Even though not in the traditional sense of the word when it came to locator's potion. Still, it was the only chance she had of finding Alice so she decided to try it.

Before she could proceed with her plan, she was being teleported. And also shrunk. She found herself in a jar in Gothel's hands. The sorceress used her to motivate Alice to help her. She wanted Alice to shine bright enough to make her plants grow enough in size to take over the entire world and kill the people who only destroyed everything in their way. Alice refused but Gothel set a sensor to Robin's jar that would only open the lid when a certain level of brightness of light had been reached. And that would only happen if Alice agreed to cooperate. If not, Robin would soon run out of oxygen and die.

Alice started crying and from her tears grew other plants with stems of shimmering silver that knocked over the jar, shattering it to pieces, and attacked Gothel. Robin was still shrunk, though, but that hardly mattered at the moment. She kissed Alice's cheek, relieved that both of them were alive for the moment, and before she knew it, she was her normal size again. Alice hugged her and told her to close her eyes. And even behind her closed eyelids Robin could still see the blinding wave of light that radiated off of Alice.

When she opened her eyes, there was only ash left of Gothel and her plants. Alice had obliterated them with her shine. She explained to Robin that Gothel had put a curse on her to inhibit her power and prevent her from doing just that. But when the two of them had shared True Love's kiss, the curse had been lifted. And so had been the shrinking spell Gothel had put on Robin.

They got out of the cave where Gothel held them only to find themselves lost. They had no idea where the hell Gothel had taken them. Robin took out the map Gideon had given her and used reverse blood magic. She let the drop of blood fall on Mist Haven's location on the map and trickle down to where they were. It turned out that Gothel had taken them far away, thus eliminating all their progress. Robin groaned that they'd have to walk all that distance again. But Alice's hand in hers gave her the needed encouragement and lifted her spirits.

The two renewed their journey and tried to be less conspicuous this time so as to not draw the attention of another witch that wanted to use Alice's powers for evil. And for heaven's sake, no more inns. They slept under the night sky that was as full of stars as ever.

Robin saw the woven bracelets at one of the market places where they stopped to buy food and decided to buy matching ones for Alice and herself. While she was fumbling with the money, she overheard a conversation between two drunk pirates. She heard them mention the Jolly Roger and stuffed the bracelets in her bag before grabbing Alice's hand and rushing after the pirates.

They followed them to a hidden cove where the ship was anchored. Robin dragged Alice aboard despite her protests. They sneaked around a few of the crew members but their path was blocked by a man dressed in black leather and with a hook for a left hand. Robin recognized him as the captain of the ship – Killian Jones.

She introduced herself as a friend of Gideon's from Mist Haven which immediately grabbed his attention and he welcomed them on board. Robin explained to Alice that that was the man who had brought Gideon to Mist Haven after he'd rescued him from a place called Neverland where time didn't move and Gideon had been trapped for centuries after he'd been kidnapped from his parents.

Killian offered them lunch and safe passage to Mist Haven. He then asked Robin to tell him everything about Gideon. She told him about the workshop Gideon had in Mist Haven where he built all sorts of inventions to help ease the life of the people.

Meanwhile, Alice was at the railings, watching the sea. A figure in a brown cloak approached her. She could feel the darkness in him. But before she could say anything, he revealed that he knew she was a star. She asked him how he knew and he told her his magic could detect hers.

Robin chose to interrupt at that moment for she'd recognized the hooded figure. She turned to Killian, shocked that he'd have the Dark One on his ship. She'd heard stories about him. The man who could've easily ended the Ogre war but had refused to. She drew an arrow and aimed it at him, perfectly aware of her minimal chance to even get to shoot it, not to mention hit him with it.

Killian stopped her, revealing that that was Rumplestiltskin – Gideon's father. He'd challenged him to a duel because he'd wanted his ship. It could fly thanks to the sail made of pegasi feathers and he needed just that to rescue his son from the prison he was being held in. Killian had agreed to help him when he'd learned the boy was trapped on Neverland. His own brother had found his death on that cursed island, so if he had the chance to save someone from there, he would take it. They'd rescued the boy and had brought him to Mist Haven where he'd be safe.

Robin asked why Rumple hadn't stayed with him and had left him an orphan instead. Rumple told her the story. He'd been the Savior, destined to end the great evil that'd been born the same winter as him. It had turned out that evil had been his own mother. And to prevent him from fulfilling his destiny, she'd cut off the thread of his life, thus altering his fate. He'd turned out to be a coward. Yet, he'd found a kind soul who'd been able to look past all of his shortcomings and had fallen in love with him. He'd fallen in love with her and they'd gotten married. Soon his wife had given birth to a son – Gideon, named after her favorite book character. They'd been living a fairytale.

Until his mother had reentered his life. She'd been trying to steal Gideon from them because, as the son of the ex Savior, he had powerful magic that could help her get what she wanted. Afraid of her endless attempts to steal his son, Rumple had sought out the Dark One and had taken his power for himself so that he'd be able to protect his family from the woman who'd ruined his life the first time around. He wouldn't let her do it again.

However, when he returned from his journey with the power of the Dark One, it had been too late. His son had been kidnapped by his father – Peter Pan, who ruled over Neverland. He'd taken the boy in hopes of being reunited with his wife. So Rumple searched for ways to get his son out of Neverland for years while his wife faded under the burden of the grief and time. She'd died eventually and he'd had nothing to keep him on the side of light anymore. He'd used more and more dark magic and it had been consuming him slowly. And he still hadn't found a way to get to his son.

Then he'd heard about Killian's ship. Together the two of them had freed Gideon with Rumple killing his father in the process. They'd saved Gideon but he hadn't even recognized his papa. He looked nothing like he had before and his voice sounded different with madness woven in it. He'd sunk so deep into the darkness that his own son hadn't been able to recognize him. So he'd decided Gideon would be better off without him and Killian had suggested to get him to Mist Haven where he'd be safe.

However, the Black Fairy – Rumple's mother, had followed them there as she'd needed Gideon's magic in order to be able to stay in that dimension and not be pulled back to the one she'd been banished to. And as luck would have it, in Mist Haven she'd found the last ingredient she needed in order to free herself – Emma. She was the new Savior and with enough of her magic she could open a portal between the dimensions and come back to this one permanently.

Killian stepped in to tell Robin about her mother's brave sacrifice. The Black Fairy had used Zelena's magic to power her plan, and in order to stop her Zelena had sacrificed her magic, thus saving everyone in Mist Haven. However, the Black Fairy had consumed enough of Gideon's magic–all of it, actually–for one final battle. It had been Rumple who'd incinerated her, leaving only a heap of dark fairy dust behind. It had seemed harmless enough but it had poisoned the soil and had turned all the bugs into ogres. That had been how the Ogre war had started and they'd had to seal Mist Haven to prevent more people from falling victim to the vicious beasts.

Robin needed some time to process the whole story but, luckily for her, now that they were on the ship they had time to rest and actually enjoy the journey.

Alice seemed to have great fun on the ship. Killian taught her the main things about being a pirate – steering a ship, swordfighting, reading maps and even navigating with help from the stars. She loved the sea for it was so different from the sky, yet, reminded her so much of it. It was the sky's reflection on earth, and it was beautiful.

One night Rumple caught her staring lovingly at Robin who was talking to Killian. It turned out he'd known her father so he was telling her all about him. Meanwhile, Rumple told Alice about his wife – Belle. He told her about her passionate love of books, her desire for adventures and her brave heart. He told her of how much she reminded him of her, and when Alice mentioned that she'd never really read a book, he conjured Belle's favorite – Her Handsome Hero. It was the one from which Gideon's name had come.

It took them a few days but they finally arrived at the port near Mist Haven. Robin knew something was wrong the moment they first stepped on land.

They rushed to where she'd opened a passage in the barrier and entered Mist Haven only to find it ravaged. The ogres had found the opening in the shield, too, and had taken advantage of it. Robin wondered how that could've happened. Rumple's guess was that they'd picked up the lower vibration of the hole in the barrier with their incredibly sensitive hearing. They were blind but their other senses more than compensated for it. And when Rumple told her that something must have drown them near after her objection that they usually didn't come close enough to the barrier to sense a disruption in it, she realized that it was all her fault. She hadn't closed the wound on her finger when she'd pricked herself in order to open the vault. A drop of blood must have fallen on the grass when she'd dropped to the ground on her way out.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice that sounded familiar. She saw her mom being attacked by an ogre. She would've been killed if Emma hadn't saved her with her magic. There was a heavy battle going on. Emma and Regina were using their magic to shield the people and transport them to a safe place–if there even was such a thing–while David was brandishing his sword left and right and Snow was shooting arrow after arrow. Mulan and Philip were also there, fighting to protect what was left of their home.

Robin couldn't care about all of that. She ran to her mom, relieved to see that she was okay. Zelena hugged her, looking just as relieved to see that her daughter was fine, but their joy was short-lived. Zelena berated Robin for putting everyone's lives at risk before telling her that not everyone had had her luck. Alex's father was dead. And who knew how many other people.

Robin felt the tears falling from her eyes. She'd just wanted better lives for all of them. But she'd ended up taking away even the ones they'd already had. And the worst part was that she couldn't do anything to fix her mistake. If Emma and Regina's combined power wasn't enough to stop the ogres, she had no chance.

That was when she heard Alice call her name. She told her that she could stop it. She could destroy the darkness. It was why she'd fallen from the sky. She'd been sent to help them all. Her light could balance out all the darkness that had been spread around their world. And before Robin could say anything, she started sucking the darkness out of the ogres, causing them to shrink back to the bugs they'd been before.

The moment Robin saw it, she knew what the consequences would be. Alice would die. Her shine was fading with every second as it neutralized the darkness. She could save them. But she had to die.

Robin begged her not to do it, but Alice had decided already. She reasoned that Robin's wish had been for her to save them from their prison. And when the darkness was gone, they'd be able to go on all the adventures their hearts desired.

Robin cried at her that that wasn't what she wanted anymore. She wanted the adventures only if Alice was there to share them with her. She'd wanted adventures, too, and she couldn't give up on that.

She assured Robin that the adventure the two of them had had on the way back had been more than enough. And while Robin wailed that it wasn't enough for her, Alice concentrated all her power on shining. She felt more darkness entangling with her light and turned to see Rumple's skin returning to its normal texture and color as all the darkness drained out of him and flowed into her.

Alice said a last "I love you" to Robin and, with a loud explosion, the darkness and the light melded together and dissolved into thin air, perfectly balanced. A cloud of stardust fell all over Mist Haven, causing yellow flowers to start growing from the soil. Later, they found out that they had healing powers and helped immensely in the recovery of those who'd gotten injured in the battle. Even in her death Alice had found a way to save more lives and had left them one last parting gift.

Robin was proud of her. But that didn't change the pain that was tearing her apart. She fell to the ground, her fingers clutching at the bracelet that was the only physical proof she had that Alice had ever existed.

Gideon ran towards her but the sight of his father gave him pause. Without the darkness, he recognized him, but there was no time for a happy reunion. Without the darkness, his father was dying. He only had time to tell him he loved him before the light left his eyes.

Gideon cried.

Alex cried.

Robin cried.

When she'd managed to pick herself up enough to function, she used her magic to gather the particles left of Alice. It drained all her power but she had a pile of stardust in her hands in the end. She used her magic again to sprinkle it over the sea water that was to become Alice's last home. She would be happy there.

Killian gave her the Resurrection Amulet that was told to be able to revive people. It just needed to be filled with magic. And it needed a price to be paid. Gideon warned her of that. She'd known it already. Not that she would've used it. Alice wouldn't have wanted that. She'd made her own decision and Robin respected it. Besides, she'd already used her magic for the last time to give Alice the resting place she deserved.

She used the amulet to suck out her own magic and then gave it to her mom. It was the least she could do after stealing the box with her mom's magic. Besides, Zelena would use it more responsibly to help people, and not hurt them. Robin only asked her to use it to restore the glass slippers that she'd destroyed. Ella would want back the thing that had helped her find her husband. And Alex would want them, too, now that her father was dead. And Robin had already robbed them of enough.

She also gave Gideon the book Rumple had given Alice. His mother's favorite. Alice would've wanted him to have it.

To Killian she gave the bracelet that she'd bought for Alice. She'd seen how much the two of them had bonded in the short time she and Alice had been on his ship. He'd acted like a father to Alice the whole time, teaching her everything he could and always remaining understanding, even when Alice's perspective on things had been a little too unique for a human to understand. He deserved to have it.

Robin was glad to hear from him that he planned to stay at Mist Haven. A certain blonde Savior had caught his eye so he'd decided to stay on shore for a little while. See where things would take them.

And Robin had decided to leave. She would travel and devote her time to helping people in need. Just like Alice had done. And like her own father had done when he'd been alive.

She slept under the stars that didn't seem so bright anymore. Maybe they were mourning the loss of their sister.

Alice would never find her way back to the night sky. But the stardust that was left of her still carried life in it and when the fish swallowed it, they turned into a species no one had seen before. They turned into starfish.


End file.
